Let's Go On Safari!

This past weekend our team caravanned to Mushingashi, about 4.5 hours from Lusaka. It is a private safari camp owned by several Lebanese businessmen. Nestled next to the Kafue River and just north of the Kafue National Park it held so many surprises that I hope I can recall them all. Just driving into the camp was a safari—on the way we saw warthog, sable, and several interesting birds, one I dubbed the “fruit loop” bird because of its beak. Our lodging site, Delai Camp, is one of three on this property. The big idea of this reserve is “in your face” wildlife. The animals roam freely but pretty much leave campers alone, with the exception of the elephants. Delai Camp is perched on a hill overlooking the Kafue River. All three camps lie in a valley, so it was rather warm at times. We had several tent campers among us but Tracy and I, being old folks, chose to stay in a chalet, complete with indoor plumbing!

Throughout the weekend we took safaris by car, the most exciting of which were the evening safaris. Packing our spotlights we roamed the different roads searching for lion and leopard. Shining the lights helped us to locate eyes. Blue eyes were usually those of the impala or puku. The ones we were longing to see were the orange or yellow eyes. However, the bush babies fooled us with theirs, as they also have the same color of eyes.

Saturday a.m. Tracy, Tim, and I took a morning drive and came upon fresh lion tracks. At first there was one set of paw prints, then another, then another. The pride was coming together! It was fun to realize they had just passed through, and made us wonder who was watching when we got out of the truck.

I suppose Saturday evening was the most exciting. Shortly after 6 p.m. the cook came to the dining hall and quietly asked if we wanted to see the lions. Earlier in the day we had seen them less than a mile away, lounging in their den of rocks. You didn’t have to ask us twice! We made for the door and from the top of the hill we saw about four lionesses crossing below us, with a few more walking from the left. The armed guard said they were acting rather unusual as they were stalking. It’s possible it had to do with having nine children with us whom the lions consider to be tasty morsels. Tim drove his SUV truck out into the area in order to move them along. But, they remained below our hill. At the guard’s urging the tent campers were asked to bed down for the night inside. There was no objection to this!

After having gone to bed a fellow camper came knocking at our door, inviting us to witness the lunar eclipse, visible only in the southern hemisphere that night. For an hour and a half we sat around the campfire with binoculars as the earth’s shadow slowly eclipsed the moon. Amazing! As if that wasn’t enough, the Lord also put on a light show for us~ a meteor shower fell from the sky and took our breath away.

God added an exclamation point to the weekend with a visit to the Mushingashi headquarters to view a rarely-seen animal. Tracy and Tim had made friends with one of the workers, Jonathan. At his invitation the team drove to a bluff overlooking the Kafue River. There we got a glimpse of the shy, awkward creature, the sitatunga. At first I thought it might be like our “jackelope” in the states. But, no it is real. It’s much like a moose in that it goes under water for feeding, coming up for air now and then. Unlike a moose it is small, about the size of a yearling deer. Its run is a cross between a hop and a gallop because of its strange two-pronged hooves. It likes marshes and is very skiddish. Through Jonathan’s graciousness we were taken out on the Kafue River in a flat-bottomed boat and got a better look at them. We also slid past a pod of hippos who were bathing in the center of the river. Though they look docile, hippos are very dangerous and dislike being disturbed. However, they still tell jokes~once in a while you can hear their laughter. I think their laugh sounds like the airbrakes on a semi.

As soon as we upload the rest of our pictures to the web, we’ll post the link on our blog for you to view them.

Before we left Sunday morning Tracy shared a devotional which greatly encouraged me. He pointed out that there was a great joy to the weekend~what an amazing time we had seeing the glory of God in creation. At the same time there is a touch of sadness~we were leaving it and returning to our regular routine in Lusaka~its schedule, pressures and struggles. However, one day when God redeems all of his creation through Christ, we will be owners of it all. Mushingashi currently has temporary owners. But, one day God’s Kingdom will come to earth and all of creation will belong to us. We will never have to leave it!